


This Act of Translation

by Woldy



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: Bathroom Sex, Best Friends, First Kiss, First Time, Hand Job, M/M, Sexual Tension, Teenagers, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-27
Updated: 2009-12-27
Packaged: 2017-10-05 08:42:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/39832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Woldy/pseuds/Woldy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which James devises yet another complex plan to get laid, Remus makes out with the wrong person and Sirius lays an ambush in the Prefect's bathroom.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Act of Translation

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 1008 Hp Yule Balls exchange. Many thanks to [](http://x-merlin.livejournal.com/profile)[**x_merlin**](http://x-merlin.livejournal.com/)  and [](http://nathaniel-hp.livejournal.com/profile)[**nathaniel_hp**](http://nathaniel-hp.livejournal.com/)  for beta-ing this fic.

"Did you see her?" James said, as they walked to lunch.

"Who her?" Sirius replied.

"_Which_ her," Remus corrected absently.

"They're all 'witch her'," Sirius punned, for the millionth time, "the question is which witch Prongs is ogling today."

"I don't ogle," James protested, "but the person I was _admiring_ is Helen Weiss."

"Weiss, eh?" Sirius said thoughtfully. "Well, I've no ad-Weiss to give you on that one, but if you want me to put in a word on the Ravenclaw grapevine with Emma --"

"Keep your wet nose and bad puns out of it," James told him. "For now we're just observing. I need a strategy."

"Ah," Peter said, as they sat down at the table. "Reconnaissance. For that, you'll need Remus."

\------------------

Remus began with the library.

This wasn't a bad idea, because Ravenclaws spent a good deal of time in the library and could often be overheard. The first, rather indiscriminate, part of the task James urged upon him was to find out everything he could about Helen Weiss.

Remus settled himself at a table close to a group of Ravenclaws and opened his charms textbook. When he reached the end of the chapter, Remus realized he hadn't heard a word from the next table; clearly studying was incompatible with eavesdropping.

Right, he needed a new plan. Remus collected volume 'K' of the Magical Encyclopaedia and started browsing. At the next table, all he heard was muttering and complaints about someone's Arithmancy proof going all wrong. After ten minutes, nothing gossip-worthy had been said at all.

"This is getting me nowhere," Remus decided and closed the book.

Whatever there was to be known about Weiss was beyond his research capability. He'd tell James to find another plan, just as soon as his homework was finished.

\--------------------------

"So the library is a no go," Sirius concluded, "and you're irrationally opposed to getting Emma to feel her out, up or any other direction. It looks like we need Plan C."

"B," interrupted James, who was prodding at the fire with the poker. "Not C. Asking your casual shag to pass on a message was never on my list of options."

"B or C," Peter intervened peaceably, "you're still out of choices."

"I just need a more sophisticated approach. Remus, can you find out when she's next on prefect duty?" James asked.

"Yes," said Remus hesitantly, "but only if you tell me what you're planning."

"Nothing much," James said airily, "she'll barely notice I'm there ... at least to start with."

"That's what I was afraid of," Remus sighed.

It took some effort to persuade James that shadowing Helen's Prefect patrols whilst wearing his invisibility cloak said 'creepily disturbing stalker' rather than 'romantic suitor'.

Unfortunately, Peter devised Plan D: getting Remus to re-arrange his Prefect duties so that he could ask Helen privately whether she fancied James. If she did, then Remus was supposed to lure her to a room upstairs, where James would spring out bearing chocolates and whatever flowers he'd managed to acquire the night before in Greenhouse Five.

Remus might have refused to help if it weren't for the whole Animagus thing. There weren't many things he wouldn't do for a friend like that.

"Now," James said, "does everyone understand the plan?"

"Well, yeah," Sirius replied with a grin, "your ruse of getting me to make out with Emma is a hardly a startling divergence from my usual entertainment."

"Not you. Wormtail?"

"Hang about watching for Filch and Peeves," Peter said. "It's the most boring job ever. This isn't Marauding."

"Well, you wouldn't have to do it if _ Sirius _ hasn't lost the _map_."

"Lost for a good cause!" Sirius protested and would have continued but --

"Wasn't there a scheme underfoot?" Remus pointed out.

"Right. Yeah. I suspect this is as organised as we're getting. Try not to cock it up." James gave his hair a final ruffle, threw on the invisibility cloak and stepped out through the portrait hole.

"Or Prongs will never get his cock up her," Sirius stage-whispered to a snickering Peter, as they followed.

\-----------------------

Prefects' rounds were usually very dull, but trying to get Helen to reveal the secrets of her love-life made things a lot more difficult. After several failed attempts at subtlety, Remus was reduced to the blunt interjection, "You broke up with Kevin, didn't you?" as they walked along the charms corridor.

Helen paused and said, "Yeah, why?"

"Nothing really," mumbled Remus, genuinely embarrassed by the role James had foisted upon him. "It's just. Well. It must be nice, having a relationship. I've never…" He paused awkwardly, fishing for an appropriate phrase. "I mean I'm not handsome. James is handsome, but I'm just … bookish, I suppose."

"Potter's okay to look at," Helen mused, and Remus thought, _"Brilliant, James is in!"_ and consequently missed her next few words. The next thing he knew, she had stepped forward and was gazing up at him.

"You're much nicer, though," she said softly. Remus realised suddenly that there had been a horrible misunderstanding, but he didn't have time to correct things before Helen kissed him.

_"This wasn't the plan! It's James, James who likes you,"_ Remus thought frantically and wanted to say so, but his mouth was otherwise occupied because Helen's tongue had slipped against his bottom lip.

The James thing clearly wasn't happening and since Remus didn't have a better explanation for the awkwardness of the preceding conversation, he parted his lips. Helen's tongue swiped against his own and Remus was so distracted by this that he overbalanced slightly, pressing her back against the wall as he regained his equilibrium.

Helen sighed and arched into his touch, her skin soft and warm against his hand.

This was – okay, Remus supposed. He wouldn't be bothered if they never repeated it, and a vague sense that this was the wrong sentiment caused him to stop.

Helen smiled at him, her cheeks rather pink.

"We should probably finish the patrol," Remus said. "Before, y'know."

"Yeah," Helen said, and he accompanied her back to the Ravenclaw entrance in a slightly awkward silence.

Since Remus' unscheduled make-out session had scuppered the plan, he snuck upstairs to inform Peter that he should retrieve James and then walked to alcove where Sirius was supposed to be waiting with Emma. When he stepped inside, Sirius was sitting alone on the floor and looking pensive.

"Alright?" Remus asked.

"Yeah. Said she wanted an early night, so … No luck for James?"

"No," Remus said, his mouth dry.

"Well then," Sirius said, uncurling his long limbs and standing up, "nobody gets any action tonight."

"Actually, I, er," Remus said and cleared his throat. "I snogged Helen. Or rather, she did. I hadn't planned to, but I was asking her about James and she just sort'f …"

Sirius was giving him a weird look.

"What? You think James is going to be angry?"

"Doubt it."

"What then?"

Sirius stared at the floor. "I just didn't think you were all that into girls, Moony," he said eventually.

"Um, well, I mean I'm not, so far. Wait – what do you mean by that, Sirius?" asked Remus in a sudden moment of clarity.

There was a pause as Sirius scuffed moodily at the flagstones with his shoe.

"Nothing." Sirius said. "It's just that … You're careful who you trust, and since my great balls up, there's not been much flirting in your life. I don't really know what I'm talking about."

Sirius looked up, his eyes dark.

Remus was suddenly aware of how small the alcove was and how very, very close they were. He could feel Sirius' breath in puffs against his cheek and see the pulse racing at Sirius' throat. There wasn't enough air.

"No, you don't," Remus said unevenly and stepped into the corridor without even checking if it was clear. The corridor was empty and he supposed that Peter and James had gone up to bed already; it seemed a good idea to join them as soon as possible.

"I won't tell them, Remus," Sirius said quietly from behind him.

"It doesn't matter." Remus replied, hurrying down the stairs.

Sirius caught his sleeve, tugging him to a halt. "I didn't hear that."

"I said it doesn't matter!" Remus hissed. "It isn't – I'm not into her. It wasn't important, and I won't do it again, so I don't intend to tell James, alright? And I'm not interested in your theories about whom I do or don't fancy. Leave it, Sirius."

He jerked away angrily, aware that he might be over-reacting, but then surely he had right to overreact after that stunt with the Whomping Willow. Things had been difficult in recent months because the friendship between them was fragile and contingent. In the chain of trust that held the Marauders together, Sirius and Remus were the weak link.

\--------------------

James and Peter had almost reached the Portrait Hole when someone yanked James' invisibility cloak off and Peter fled with a squeak into the shadows.

That someone was a furious Lily Evans, who stood holding the cloak aloft victoriously. James could see pink pyjama bottoms poking out beneath her school robes, but the Prefect's badge glinted threateningly in the candlelight.

"What? Er, how ..." James said lamely.

"I'm not stupid, James Potter!" she snapped. "Did you think it wasn't obvious that you were sneaking about? You can't just do whatever you want – and why were you outside anyway?"

"I was, er, meeting a girl," James admitted, since he couldn't see any point in lying. "But it didn't work out."

"I'm not surprised!" Lily said furiously. "You aren't God's gift to women, Potter, just because you play Quidditch and you're good looking. You behave like a five-year-old! A _bullying_ five-year-old."

"That's not fair," protested James, "I haven't done anything to Snivellus for months."

"That isn't the impression I get," Lily retorted. "I don't know what you did to him in autumn, but I can tell it was horrible. He looked unhappy for days, and he _hates you_ \--"

"That wasn't me, that was Sirius," James said, in flagrant breach of Marauder Rule 1: Don't Drop Your Mates in the Shit.

"It doesn't matter!" Lily shrilled. "I don't want your pathetic excuses! I've seen you tormenting him, and you and Sirius are as bad as each other."

"Why do you care so much," James asked, "when it's apparent he doesn't care for you?"

Lily recoiled, her face pale in the dim light.

"Because people are _people_," she said in a shaking voice. "You can't just hurt them or dismiss them or trample over them; otherwise you're as bad as the Slytherins are. Can't you see that?"

"That's what you think of me?" James said quietly.

"Yes," announced Lily, "it is. And you'll continue to be unbearable until the miraculous day when you _grow up_."

With that she turned and stomped through the portrait hole, taking his cloak with her. The rat hurried after her, leaving an all-too-visible James behind.

Lily Evans thought he was a bad as the Death Eaters? How could she think that, especially when --

"Are you going in or not? Some of us would like to get some sleep," said the Fat Lady tetchily.

"Yeah, fine," James mumbled and climbed through the portrait hole.

"Evans thinks I'm childish and a bully," he mused. "And – and she thinks I'm good looking! She said so. Good looking. That's encouraging. I already promised Dumbledore that we'd stay away from Snape, and I'm sure a little 'growing up' can be arranged. That might make me 'bearable'."

There were two months of sixth year left and James resolved to try doing things Lily's way. Besides which, he had to get the cloak back.

\----------------------------

Remus was climbing the stairs to Gryffindor Tower when shouts rang out from above, causing both him and Sirius to duck into the shadow of the banisters. They were too far away to catch the words, but the shrill, unhappy voice sounded distinctly female.

"Someone's caught James," said Sirius, stating the obvious. "Sounds a bit like Evans. He might not mind, in that case."

"Shut up."

Sirius bent his head down to Remus' ear, and his breath was hot against Remus' skin.

"I'm sorry," Sirius whispered, "for that night and for whatever I said earlier that upset you. I want things back the way they were."

"I can't do that," Remus whispered back.

"Tell me what I can do, then," Sirius said, his voice husky and insistent.

Sirius' hair brushed Remus' neck, making him very aware of the proximity of Sirius' lips. The thought sent shivers through him, which was startling, but not as startling as the desire to lift a hand towards Sirius, to touch him.

Remus moved away sharply and saw the hurt in Sirius expression. The angry voice continued sporadically for another minute and then there was silence upstairs. Neither of them spoke again, except for the murmured password to the Fat Lady.

Remus lay awake in bed, staring blankly at the canopy above as he tried to make sense of the evening. "I fancy Sirius," he told himself, testing the idea, tasting it. "I _fancy_ Sirius."

The thought of Sirius lying naked, barely metres away, was strange and exciting in a way it had never been before. Remus could hear him breathing softly, a sound that might have been soothing if Remus weren't distracted by the memory of those breaths fluttering against his skin. It took him a long time to fall asleep.

\------------------------

The inevitable result of the disturbed night's sleep was that Remus woke late the next morning and had a frantic rush to arrive in time for breakfast. When he walked into the hall, James was announcing proudly that "Evans thinks I'm – just wait for it - good looking!"

"Oh yeah?" Sirius asked, glancing at Peter. "What d'you reckon, Pete?"

"She did say that," Peter admitted, loyally, "though she also called him a 'bullying five-year-old'. Spose you're very good looking for a five-year-old, James."

They all laughed and Lily threw them a scorching glare which caused James mutter urgently, "Shut up, she's heard us!"

"So all thoughts of Weiss are forgotten?" Sirius enquired.

"Yeah, what happened with that?" Peter asked.

"She wasn't interested," Remus replied, trying not to blush. "Helen reckons you're cute enough, but, umm, not her type. She might be a bit too intellectual, I think."

"More Remus' type, then," James said, sounding very cheerful for a man who'd just been rejected.

"I wouldn't say that, exactly," Remus said, awkwardly, glancing down into his porridge. He took a deep breath and continued, before his courage failed, "I think, maybe, I'm not all that into girls."

"Plenty of time for that, though," James said encouragingly and took a large bite of toast.

"No. I mean. That is --"

"I suspect Remus is saying that he's interested in people who aren't girls," Sirius said quietly.

James made odd squeaky, crunchy noises around his mouthful of toast.

Peter's mouth dropped open. After gawping for a moment, he said, "So, that would be boys?"

"Yeah. Maybe," said Remus, steeling himself to look at them.

When he glanced up, he met Sirius' eyes. His expression was intent, unusually solemn, and if a dozen dungbombs had exploded in the hall at that moment, Remus doubted that Sirius would have noticed.

The moment was broken by James choking on the toast, requiring Sirius to thump him firmly on the back several times and drawing peals of laughter from the other tables.

When they sat down again, Peter was eating his own toast with some care and looking worriedly at Remus, who'd turned very red.

"Thanks for drawing attention to us, Prongs," Remus said, sotto voce.

"They don't matter," James said dismissively, "you matter, _we matter_. Marauders stick together, right?"

"Right," Peter confirmed

"Sirius?" James said, in a tone with an edge.

"Of course," Sirius said.

"There you are, Remus. Whoever you fancy is okay, because we'll support you whatever," James concluded. "Besides, all the more girls for us, eh Sirius?"

"Sure," Sirius replied, but his eyes didn't move from Remus.

"Excuse me!" said Peter.

"And Pete, of course," James said, pushing away the remnants of his toast. "Got your eye on anyone in particular?"

"Isolde Zabini is pretty hot," Peter volunteered

"Only if the idea of being poisoned after sex appeals to you," Sirius warned. "Stay well clear."

Peter looked glum.

"Remus? Anyone we know?" James asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Remus answered. "I'll let you know."

James turned to Sirius, who seemed to be looking at a point halfway down Remus' chest. "What's up with you?"

Sirius coloured slightly and said, "Um, Remus' shirt is buttoned up wrong."

"Right," James said doubtfully, looking from Remus to Sirius.

Obviously James could tell that there was something odd about the dynamic between them, but he seemed prepared to ignore it for the time being.

Remus looked around at his friends: bright, wild-haired James; solid, reliable Peter; and then Sirius, fickle, dangerous and beautiful as a flame. There was a gleam in Sirius' eye, signifying some crazy scheme or epiphany. Nothing about Sirius was safe or orderly; kissing Sirius would be like issuing an invitation to chaos.

Sirius smiled at him, that same heart-breaking smile he'd directed at dozens of girls with such success, and Remus fled.

He avoided Sirius all day, and it was an unpleasant surprise to find Sirius alone in their dormitory when he returned from dinner. Sirius sat bolt upright on the bed and said, "Remus! I want to --"

"I'm going for a bath," Remus said curtly and ran in the direction of the Prefect's bathroom.

He was floating on his back, enjoying the bubbles and sanctuary when Sirius' voice said, "You can't keep running away."

Remus flailed in surprise, sunk and then surfaced to see Sirius kick off his shoes and socks.

"We've gotta talk," Sirius said, removing his school robe.

"I don't want to talk," Remus evaded, trying and failing not to gaze at the way Sirius' hands were slowly unbuttoning his shirt.

Sirius paused for a moment at the lowest button, his eyes fixed intently on Remus, and Remus realised that this was deliberate. Sirius was putting on a show; for him.

"Put that back on, Sirius," he said hoarsely, but Sirius ignored him, sliding out of the shirt and tossing it onto the floor. His upper body was bare, except for the Gryffindor tie knotted around his neck.

"Okay, don't talk," Sirius said in a low, smooth voice. "I have other ideas for how to communicate."

Now, Sirius' hands were slowly unbuckling his belt. He unclasped the trousers and stepped out of them, revealing long muscled legs and boxer shorts that were covering …

Oh Merlin. Remus took a deep breath and plunged under the water, trying to get as far away from temptation as possible.

He should have known that it wouldn't work, because he surfaced breathless and was confronted by the sight of Sirius removing his boxers. Naked but for the red tie, Sirius walked towards the edge of the pool.

For a moment Sirius looked like a big predator stalking a creature at the waterhole; his long, lithe body wholly focused on the target, and Remus shivered at the thought of being prey.

"Are you coming out, or do I have to come in and get you?" Sirius asked hungrily.

"Neither," said Remus, and Sirius jumped into the huge bath.

He surfaced a couple of metres away and waded towards Remus, his hair, eyelashes and that damned tie dark with water. It was without a doubt the sexiest thing Remus had ever seen. It might also be Sirius' worst – no, make that second worst – idea ever.

"Tell me you don't want this," Sirius demanded.

Remus quivered, unable to form the words because they wouldn't be true, because of course he _wanted_ Sirius, but it was incredibly reckless and ill advised and --

Sirius kissed him. He was slick and naked, all hard muscle pressing against Remus' body, and it was nothing, nothing like being kissed by anyone else. Remus felt a wild, dangerous surge of desire, like lightning, like the moments before he changed where the moon called harder than he could resist.

Remus moaned and Sirius slammed him back against the wall of the pool, ducking his head to bite hard at the base of Remus' neck.

"Damned Weiss," Sirius said in a voice that was almost a growl. "I've wanted you for ages, Remus, and you had to grope somebody else to notice."

"You didn't -- fuck!" Remus muttered, distracted by the way Sirius arched forward and brushed their cocks together in the thick, warm embrace of the water. "Should've said."

Sirius paused in his task of biting a hot trail down Remus' shoulder.

"I should've told you when I realised?" he asked in an ironic tone that verged on bitter, "The morning after Snape's moonlit --"

Instinctively Remus shoved Sirius backwards, and he stumbled, almost going under.

"I'm an idiot," Sirius said quietly, "I know that. I can't fix things but you must know, you _have_ to know, that I won't do anything like that again."

The apology wasn't enough, but no apology would ever be enough: you couldn't undo something just by wishing it. It was possible that Sirius had learnt his lesson, just as it was possible that he hadn't and would betray Remus again, or that his good intentions would come to nothing.

If things were going to be right between then, truly right, then Remus would have to trust him and damn the risks. Deciding to trust someone was easier said than done, though, especially when there risks involved being outed as a werewolf. Sirius could ruin his life three times before breakfast, perhaps without even intending to do it.

Remus was conscious of Sirius' silent gaze and the thudding of his own frantic heartbeat.

"You swear?" he asked eventually, his eyes meeting Sirius'.

"Yes," Sirius said softly, moving in to kiss him. "Yes."

One of Sirius' hands cupped Remus' neck, but the other moved down his back, tracing meaningless shapes on his damp skin.

"I missed you," Sirius murmured as he pressed a kiss to Remus' jaw. "And it was entirely my fault that I missed you, and I didn't know what to … There wasn't anything I could say to make things better. Those silences …"

"Were horrible," Remus whispered, lips brushing the faint stubble on Sirius' cheek. He was half-hoping that Sirius wouldn't hear him as he said, "I know. I missed you too."

Sirius kissed a soft line along his neck to the sensitive hollow under his ear, and then gently took the earlobe in his teeth.

"Can I?" he asked indistinctly.

"Can you what?" said Remus stupidly, caught off-guard by the shift away from the emotional wreckage of the autumn.

"Can I touch you?" Sirius said, nipping gently at his earlobe again.

It took Remus a moment to realise what the question meant and then he flushed. "Um. That's. Yes."

Sirius continued nipping at his earlobe but the hand on his back slid lower, skimming over the curve of his bum before trailing slowly over Remus' hipbone and across his stomach. The skin was exquisitely sensitive, and Remus almost flinched under the touch.

Sirius glanced at him, looking uncharacteristically nervous, and then his fingers dipped to trace along Remus cock with a faint touch that felt almost silky. Sirius seemed hesitant, stroking slowly with his fingers and then brushing his thumb over the head, setting Remus' nerve endings alight.

Remus' breath hitched and Sirius's head tilted up, a hint of a smile in his eyes.

"Nice?"

"Yeah," Remus breathed, and Sirius' fingers resumed their tentative movements.

"I haven't …" Sirius said after a moment. "I don't really know what I'm doing here."

"Good," said Remus, surprised by how possessive he felt.

"I'll just make it up as we go along then, shall I?" Sirius asked, smiling in a way that was familiar from a dozen dares, a hundred pranks. Wild extemporization seemed to be Sirius' favourite plan, even though it usually ended in disaster.

_"Speaking of disaster--"_ interjected Remus' better judgement, but he shoved those thoughts away. It was too late to change his mind now, so disaster would come or it wouldn't. He hoped it would be worth it.

Remus grasped Sirius' tie and tugged him into a kiss. Sirius arched towards him and then moaned when Remus licked a trail up his neck. Remus wanted to hear more of those moans; to drink them in and lose himself in the overwhelming sensation of possessing Sirius.

Then Sirius' hand seemed to find a rhythm and Remus' brain shut down entirely as his body panted and writhed. Sirius' eyes were glued to Remus' face and Remus turned away; this was too real, too intimate and he could easily drown in that gaze. Instead he kissed Sirius' arm and neck, whatever skin he could reach, murmuring an incoherent litany of 'god', 'Sirius', 'yes' ...

The pressure built, built and then he came with an intensity that felt as if he was dissolving or shaking apart, his vision flashing white like an exploding supernova.

Remus drew in a shaking breath and another before daring a glance at Sirius. What he saw was undiluted desire, a want so raw and urgent it was almost need, and when he brushed the palm of his hand along Sirius' cock, Sirius groaned.

It was completely different to touching himself, but Sirius' skin was warm, the water provided slick, perfect friction and it was instinctive to guide his movements by Sirius' sounds and shudders. Remus couldn't tell what Sirius was thinking - what this meant and whether it mattered - but it was easy to tell what he liked.

Remus knew a lot of things that Sirius liked: gobstoppers and acid drops, joke potions and elegant Arithmancy proofs, belly laughter and vengeance, and this twisting movement of his fingers was another thing to add to the list. It was something that perhaps only he knew, or perhaps a score of people.

The thought of other people touching Sirius like this made him greedy and nervous all at once, trying to memorise the way Sirius moved and sounded in case this were his only chance. It was the moment before Sirius spilled over his hand that Remus realised he was hard again already; just from doing this, from touching Sirius.

He held Sirius until the tremors stopped and Sirius's head lifted from where it had been nestled in the hollow of Remus' neck.

"I declare this means of communication a success," Sirius said, raising a hand to tilt Remus' chin for a kiss. "I reckon we should do a lot more of it."

The kiss could have been perfunctory or dismissive, but it wasn't. It was warm, sloppy and under the ministrations of Sirius' tongue, Remus' insecurities melted like wax around a candle flame.

When he could breathe again Remus said, "Eventually James and Peter will wonder where we are."

Sirius laughed and the movement rippled through both their bodies like a very happy earthquake. "I think they'll work out what's happening," he said. "For once, I'm glad we lost the map."


End file.
